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Vettel was near flawless during a pulsating race which, other than for pit stops, he led from pole to flag. Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber separated Vettel from Button. Button was rightly not too disheartened afterwards, having increased his championship lead to six points over Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

'They were pretty crazy conditions,' he said, echoing his comments a fortnight earlier when the Malaysian Grand Prix was called off early due to a monsoon. This time there was no abandonment, the rain more consistent if less torrential.

'I think everyone was struggling with the aquaplaning out there. The last corner was just a lake and you couldn't actually brake. A few other places were the same.

'I was just really struggling with the tyres. They were shuddering. Every lap you thought you were going to throw the car off. So to finish the race is an achievement and to come home on the podium is also great. We couldn't challenge these two Red Bulls.'

This was not in the script when the F1 circus arrived in China last week. The Brawns, so dominant in Australia and Malaysia, were thought to be untouchable, not least after the double-diffuser device on the rear of their cars was declared legal by the FIA. Red Bull, among others, cried foul.

Happy days: Brawn continued their early season dominance with Button and Barrichello finishing third and fourth, respectively

But Red Bull were quick - a credit to designer Adrian Newey and team principal Christian Horner. This was their first win since entering the sport in 2005, a landmark Horner marked with admirable English restraint. That did not stop him saluting Vettel, the ever-smiling fan of Monty Python and the Beatles.

They used to call Michael Schumacher the rain meister. Enter the man they call 'Baby Schumi'. It was his second win in the wet - the other at Monza last year when he became, at 21 years 73 days, the youngest grand prix victor in history while driving for Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso. He said: 'I am extremely happy. Now can we have some more rain?'

Horner was asked about Vettel's potential for greatness.

'It's very early to say, but already after what he has achieved in such a short time, he clearly stands out,' he said. As good as the world champion, Lewis Hamilton, three years his senior?

'It's difficult to say. Lewis doesn't sit in our car, so you can't tell. For sure, in coming years, he is going to be one of the predominant drivers in Formula One. Sebastian's just matured so quickly.

'I don't know whether you have listened to his presence in the cockpit, but the spare capacity that he has while driving the car marks him out as a real star.'

Bubbly: Sebastian Vettel celebrates winning the Chinese Grand Prix

His mechanics love him. He learns funny British words and then throws them in over the in-car radio. 'Kerfuffle' was one he tried out during his debut season at BMW, leaving the team wondering how on earth this German was so well versed in English.

He explained his car's name, which is etched on the dashboard, saying: 'My original car was called Kate. Like a ship, it should be named after a girl as it's sexy. But then my monocoque got smashed at the opening race in Australia. So we called this one Kate's Dirty Sister because it is more aggressive and faster.'

Vettel barely put a wheel out of place all weekend, although he did apologise for slowing down and being clipped from behind by Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi.

Behind him, after the first safetycar phase which started the race, others slid hither and thither in the spray. Button was off once and then passed brilliantly by Webber. Robert Kubica (BMW) drove over Jarno Trulli (Toyota), causing the safety car to go out out again. Renault's Nelson Piquet - surprise, surprise - was all over the place. And he was not the only one.

Even Hamilton, who finished sixth, was off three times. 'I love racing in the wet and that's one of my worst wet performances,' he said. 'But these things happen. We'll come out on top eventually.'